Garden Organic

14/10/2026

The growing year is not over! With soils still warm from the summer, you can be filling your veg plot with homegrown greens and other goodies. Read more in our latest advice blog 👉 https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/news/what-to-sow-and-grow-in-october

13/10/2026

Here's your first sneak preview from the ! This is a blushingly beautiful celery from our Collection, first introduced in 1894. 🩷

This hardy, traditional trench celery variety produces large, pink stems that can be blanched easily and quickly. Retains its colour even when cooked!

Like the sound of this seed? Don't miss the launch of our 2027 Seed List on 17 November! And if you're not a member, head to gardenorganic.org.uk/join to support our charity's vital conservation work.

12/10/2026

There's still lots of colour in our organic growing space! 🌻These fabulous shots were taken by our gardener Kate. How's your autumn garden looking? We'd love to see your photos.

09/10/2026

It was fantastic to join Rugby Community Champions and Rugby Borough Council for a hands-on activity day encouraging residents to make small changes for nature.

Volunteers ran engaging activities at the Gardening for Nature event, based on our five 'Principles of Organic Gardening' - with residents taking part in games, bulb planting and making bug habitats to take home. Our head of organic horticulture, Chris Collins, spoke about balcony gardening and how he encourages nature into such a small space.

The event was attended by both residents and local stakeholders - with a welcome by the Mayor of Rugby. A big thank you to everyone who attended.

08/10/2026

We had a brilliant time at The Organic Growers Gathering, facilitating a seed swap between growers at Sandy Lane Farm, in Oxfordshire.

Gardeners had the opportunity to get their hands on Heritage Seed Library varieties such as 'Alex' pea - an extraordinary variety with 12 peas to the pod 🫛 - and 'MacGregor's Favourite' beetroot, a multipurpose variety grown for both its tender leaves and long cylindrical roots.

Thanks to everyone who came to support us and the event.

08/10/2026

*Job Alert* We're looking for a Finance Manager to deliver the operational management of the finance department and line management of a small finance team.

This is a hands-on role, combining day-to-day delivery, alongside supporting the Finance Director with finance data analysis, reporting and audit.

Application deadline: 21 October, 2026

Find out more and apply at https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/who-we-are/work-with-us/finance-manager

07/10/2026

Last week we were delighted to be hosted by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the team at River Cottage. Fifty supporters of the Heritage Seed Library (HSL) gathered to celebrate 50 years of this remarkable initiative. We discussed HSL's fantastic and vital work, and shared ideas of how to develop and grow for the next 50 years.

The River Cottage team cooked up a delicious lunch of Heritage Seed Library veg, grown on site, and we enjoyed an interesting tour of the garden with head gardener Graham. Our thanks to everyone who joined us, and to LGT Wealth Management for supporting the event.

If you missed Fiona's interview with Hugh on our podcast earlier this year, you can listen again at https://audioboom.com/posts/8903968-inside-the-river-cottage-kitchen-garden-with-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall

06/10/2026

October is the month of the harvest festival. 🥕 🍅🧅A time to gather in and celebrate your successes (even more precious this year!) And, of course, start to plan for next year.

Three things to spot in October:
🕷️Spiders: a UK garden can host 100 different species thanks to the ecologically complex ecosystem: lawns, flower beds, shrubs, ponds and compost heaps.

🐦‍⬛Blackbirds: will increase this month as they come into gardens to forage. Make sure you have plenty of berry-rich shrubs to attract them.

🦔Hedgehogs: will be out-and-about fattening up for their winter hibernation. Support them by creating habitats such as leaf and wood piles, and planting native hedges. Don't forget to craft a hole in your fence for hedgehog corridors!

Find more advice and organic gardening jobs via gardenorganic.org.uk/your-organic-garden-october.

05/10/2026

We're excited to announce that our will be launching on 17 November! This year's has:

✨165 beautiful heritage vegetable varieties – a new record!
✨27 newly introduced heritage vegetable seeds
✨107 varieties certified as organic
✨6 seeds to try, if you're a member
✨1 amazing way to support our charity & conserve heritage seeds

Keep your eyes on our socials for updates, sneak previews and behind-the-scenes visuals. And, if you're not a member of the Heritage Seed Library, visit gardenorganic.org.uk/join to become part of a growing movement of seed champions!

02/10/2026

Catrina, head of the Heritage Seed Library is taking part in a Seed Guardian panel event in Derby, 1pm-2pm, on 3 October - as part of the We Feed The World project.

The Seeds Take Root event marks the closing of the five-month The Gaia Foundation project, which combines storytelling with photographers, poets and inspiring custodians of soil and sea.

Find out more and book https://wefeedtheworld.org/event/derby-event-the-seeds-take-root/

Free event at QUAD and Electric Daisy, Derby. Photo exhibition, film screenings, seed panel and workshops, composting, music and celebration.